Attack is the best form of.... attack!!!

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I don't usually do 'analytical' blogs because, well, as you know, it's not exactly my strong point is it?! But today I want to discuss what I see as the simplicity of football and how modern players and managers make the game so much harder than it really ought to be. Now, of course I'm not a manager and have no right to tell them how to do their job, but I shall press on in the knowledge I have already answered the challenge that will no doubt come my way!

So, what it is eating away at me? Attacking, that's what. It's not just Spurs but in keeping with the site, I will use Spurs as the prime example and in particular yesterday's visit to the Lane of Middlesbrough. Spurs had 60 to 70% of possession and not for the first time this season or last. But why do managers and players INSIST on playing the ball sideways and backwards when in positive, attacking positions.

In the first half yesterday, Wanyama would get wide to support Walker, receive the ball and then go sideways and narrow the play. And it happened time and time again.
And this is where players and managers make football harder than it needs to be. Get the ball in the box!!! I'm not saying I want to see long ball football all the time but when you get wide, beat your man and cross the bloody football!

When Walker and Rose get wide on the flanks, they tend to beat the man and cross with their favoured foot and that causes problems in the box. But in the last few games, we have been beating a man, stopping, turning round and going backwards or sideways. This slows the play down and allows the defenders to get back into position making attacking much harder.

And I have been looking through a selection of highlights of our draws this season and the games where we have struggled to break teams down. Far too many games to be genuine title contenders.

When you are attacking at pace and beat your man out wide, the players supporting you are all running forward and on to the ball that comes into the box. That is the best scenario. The defenders are either also running at their own goal or standing still. The advantage is with the attackers is it not? As soon as the attacking winger stops, turns back and either tries to cross with his other foot or pass backwards, the advantage switches to the defenders. The attackers are now static and it makes it harder to attack the ball.
And Spurs have done this so many time this season. Son does it so often which is frustrating because he showed yesterday how good his final ball can be when he delivered a peach for Kane who ruined my argument by missing!

When Man United had Kanchelskis and Giggs, it wasn't intricate tippy, tappy bollocks that won them titles and silverware. It was good old fashioned wing play.

And when have Spurs been at their very best this season? 3 at the back and fast , attacking wing back play. We ripped Chelsea apart and West Brom with this, SIMPLE, attacking play. And it's hard to defend against when you have players who have quality like Walker and Rose. I know Rose wasn't playing yesterday but we can play this way. And when we do , we look the real deal.

Some will say this is a pointless blog, but I think sometimes it's worth looking at the game as a whole and just standing up and saying, CROSS THE BLOODY BALL, MOVE IT QUICKER!

When Spurs do, we are good enough to beat anyone. When we don't, we draw too many and labour to results like yesterday. And I fear that, along with a lack of a quality squad in depth, it will be simple things that cost Spurs the title this season and possibly silverware.

Come on Poch, you can sort this. And my fees are cheap!

As ever, come on You Spurs!!!

 

There is no doubt that we have created more chances and looked a better, more dangerous side since we've gone to three at the back.

However, your wide men, whether wingers or full backs need to deliver speedily, otherwise the opportunity and advantage is lost.

Our wingers are, sadly, typically inverted and we have no Messi or Bale like quality....so enough said there.
We wasted so many opportunities yesterday, either by a poor final ball, or by checking back and losing the chance.

In the end total domination nearly came to nothing, with their late miss almost costing us 2 points.

Next week we can't afford to be so generous.

COYS

 

Couldn't agree more - some people seem to love over-complicating football, hence the obsession of some bloggers with stats and heat charts, and the willingness of some Spurs fans to put-up with the sterile apology for football produced under AVB - 'Just run abaht a bit' might not be much of a philosophy, but I'd still prefer it to the endless walking-pace possession that passes for football all too often today.

 

Totally agree. It's a bit like when teams change tactics massively when they play away. Surely you should play your best formation and tactics EVERY game?! Just because of opposition fans the game is still football!!!

 

1. Problem:
We do not have aerial supremacy. No young Crouch, no young Adebayor, no Fellani or anyone 2 meter tall. You need height because defenders routinely grab shirts of out best upstairs players (Kane, Deli) preventing high jumps. Needless to say that likes of Dembele or Eriksen are useless in the air. MP cannot send into 6 yds. box our CBs, who are good in the air, every time Walker reaches touchline, since a cross is known to all, but supporters, as a source of turnover and CBs may be caught up front .
Solution: tall lads Son and Jenssen. Son cannot be used in the box as he is the only source of crosses from left whilst Rose is out ( Davis can't do good cross). Janssen plays only 30 min.
2. Problem:
By now every club knows that, due to inefficiency of Spurs crosses (see above), MP will play penetration from center of the Bus parked by Spur's opposition. That is why Spurs need to move the ball back constantly in the attempt to move the Bus away from opposition's penalty box. But the opposition tactic is effective. The disciplined defenders allowed Black Cats to take a point, for example. Boro played carbon copy of David Moyes scheme. We were lucky to get a penalty and take all 3 points.
Solution: None. Every top club has that. Check Pool loss to Hall. That is where quality of players more often is more important than coach's tactic. That is where COYS!! applies and always have. Harry has to wake up. Dele has to play better. Eriksen and Son were fine as of late. But in football everything is subject to change. No nonsense switching from breaking the Bus from its center to crosses and widening of the attack is a top notch art that comes with experience and training. We have young team that is pretty advanced in learning that art. Therefore, as ever COYS!!!

 

Bang on Matt today.

It infuriates me when we relentlessly move side to side at snails pace then wonder why we can't score or get our Striker in the game.
For our dominance over Boro at Home if it were not for a penalty kick it would've been another stale mate.
Wing play is not all about height, whipping the ball in fast and low causes havoc for defences, strikers just need a touch and defenders are scrambling.
As in most things it's a percentage issue, the more times you get the ball in the danger areas the more times your likely to score.
The quicker you get the ball to your danger men the more time and advantage they have to do damage and the less time defenders have to organise.
There are of course times for possession as you cannot relentlessly attack but you need Imo 20/25 mins each half where the whole team puts their foot down on the gas.
Nothing irks me more than the score at 0-0 and seeing us stroking the ball about like it's a pre season game where know one wants to get hurt and the result doesn't matter.
It does!
Possessional stats look great on paper but 3 points and Goals are more rewarding.

 

If I were Poch I'd rerun the Boro game and make them look at where they went wrong, particularly when coming from wide positions.
I'm currently at the East Upper Park Lane end on the goal line and you see so many wasted opportunities from up high. Our crosses, apart from the Kane offside goal, were poor, either that or poorly read by the strikers.
I thought Son had a good game, but I can't quite work out whether he can't find his man, or they can't read him.
Also we just don't put our two strikers in there for the crosses.......or that's how it feels. Hey ho.
COYS

 

Excellent blog Matt, and team!
Absolutely agree with all the comments above - sitting high up in the East Stand on Saturday for the first time in what feels like years - it amazed me how little pace there actually was.
I love Harry to bits, but his movement off the ball was so poor... and why, when the 'Boro defence was funneling back - why was nobody running with the ball at them?
MP - NOT side to side - Forward with PACE please!
COYS

 

Well like most things in life , there's two ways of looking at this .. I do agree it can be very frustrating to watch but playing this style has us in the mix for the last couple of seasons ... Being the best defense in the league over the last couple of seasons has to be connected to the way we play to some degree so that's certainly a good thing ... We just need a bit more quality all round in the front section I.m.o ... The Borough game was frustrating only because we didn't take our chances in the first half .. Doesn't matter what style of football you play , it's always going to be frustrating if you're not taking your chances ... We prob need to get in the box more in numbers as much as anything , Alli is really the only one who runs in behind Kane to any degree , now weather that's down to the individuals or down to our game plan I'm not really sure , probably a bit of both ... Ultimately , when any team sets out to park the bus as they say and does it correctly , well then it's very difficult to break that down as we see every week in this league ... Personally I think dead ball situations can be crucial in these situations , we are getting 10 + corners per game on top of free kicks and getting absolutely nothing from them ... More then half the time we don't even put it in the box , now that's bloody frustrating .. We are one of the biggest sides in the league , probably the most physically strong Spurs team I can remember , so should be a major handful for opposition defenses in all dead ball situations but we're not ... Our best run of form this year came when we had 3 at the back but I'm not 100% convinced it was totally down to the system , for some reason we seem to play our best football at that time of year for the last few seasons ... We did the same last year playing the so called 4 2 3 1 system ... It's too small a pool of games to make any sweeping conclusions from I.m.o ... I've said many times before , I think too much can be made of these so called systems , in the modern game systems are very fluid ... For instance last season Dier slipped in between the two centre backs consistently making it three at the back so it's not really a huge change .... Eriksson always starts in the 3 behind on paper but he plays all across the center more then anything .. I would certainly never describe him as an inverted winger , that's for sure or Alli for that matter ... Look I'm not disagreeing just for the sake of it , I get as frustrated as everyone else watching it at times but it's probably as much down to individuals as style of play ... At the end of the day , no matter what style of football you're precieved to be playing , if results are not going your way then people are going to be frustrated and pick holes in it , myself included , lol ..... C.O.Y.S .....

 

For certain sure whatever system we play the next three games will test us fully.

The Scousers away, followed by Toffies and Stoke, both with some form and far better individuals that Boro, will exploit us with pace and balls over the top.

We will need to be at our very best, so being profligate in front of goal is an absolute No No.

Hopefully injuries will be limited to Rose from the starters.....fingers crossed.

COYS

 

So Liverpool up next , never an easy place to go even when they're playing rubbish .. Given all the success others have had against them lately by defending deep in numbers and hitting them on the break , is that the way we should play in this game ??

 

Mmm. Not sure burnt, as we've not played that way for yonks. We will doubtless do our normal game, like against Chelski......but this time we will bury all of our chances...Get in ...... COYS

 

Does anyone know where the hell Lamela is or what's going on there ... I'm not as big a fan of his as many of our supporters but he,s got his uses and is an important part of the squad ... Strange situation going on there , the silence is deafening ... C.O.Y.S ....

 

I think I've seen reports on all three options....Staying in Rome, going back to his old Argie club, was it River Plate.....and he's coming home to WHL....perm any 1 from 3.....hey ho!

 

What a waste of money time and effort , has he even completed a full season with us since he arrived?
Seems to have a Sabbatical every season on top of injuries and will no doubt need his 'confidence' back before he can run without treading on the ball.

30mil if you put all his performances together makes for about 1 seasons worth of games in 3 and a half, and over half of them he was Sh;te and a quarter bang average.

Can't wait till we sell him and Sissoko and get some actual quality in, complete wastes of time.

 

Harsh assessment there Felon but it is hard to argue with it ... I still think he has his uses in this squad for the time being but as you say in an ideal world we need better then him and Sissoko to get to the next level ..... What ever about Lamela , it's always a gamble bringing in young players from different leagues and in fairness he was very highly rated all over the globe , you have to take a chance and hope it works out but the Sissoko deal , well it never made sense at any level ... I'd love to know who came up with and taught that was a good idea ...

Come on Sissoko , prove us all wrong and make us eat our words .... Lol , dream on burnt ..... As the saying goes , it's the hope that kills ya .... C.O.Y.S ....